Belfast

/ˈbɛl.fæst/

//ˈbɛl.fæst// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"belfast" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Belfast” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,514. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,514
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The capital and largest city of Northern Ireland.

Corpus desk

Index EN-belfast · Belfast · English

Belfast · rank #8,514 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,514
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Beatles

Nearest frequency peer: Beatles (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Belfast”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Belfast” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Belfast vs blast
57% similar
Belfast vs beast
57% similar
Belfast vs ballast
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Belfast
PropertyValue
HeadwordBelfast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈbɛl.fæst/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,514
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Belfast”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Belfastlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Beatles” (#8,513), “blah” (#8,515), “baron” (#8,512). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “Belfast” is #8,514. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Belfast (IPA /ˈbɛl.fæst/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #8,514 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Belfast, with forms such as "bbelfast", "beflast", and "belafst". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "blast", "beast", "ballast", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Irish Béal Feirste (literally “mouth of the River Farset”). The correct English form is Belfast, spelled B-E-L-F-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The capital and largest city of Northern Ireland.
  2. 2
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  3. 3
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  4. 4
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  5. 5
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  6. 6
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  7. 7
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  8. 8
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  9. 9
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  10. 10
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  11. 11
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  12. 12
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  13. 13
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  14. 14
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  15. 15
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  16. 16
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.
  17. 17
    A place named for either the city in Northern Ireland or another place also named as such.

Etymology

From Irish Béal Feirste (literally “mouth of the River Farset”).

This word in other languages

Belfast(Español)Belfast(Français)Belfast(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbelfast
  • beflast
  • belafst
  • belfasst
  • belfastt
  • belfats
  • belffast
  • belfsat
  • bellfast
  • blefast
  • eblfast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Belfast - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbelfast1beflast2belafst2belfasst1belfastt1belfats2belffast1belfsat2
Edit distance from "Belfast"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Belfast"?
"Belfast" is spelled B-E-L-F-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɛl.fæst/.
What does "Belfast" mean?
As a proper noun, "Belfast" means: The capital and largest city of Northern Ireland.
What words are commonly confused with "Belfast"?
"Belfast" is commonly confused with "blast", "beast", "ballast". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Belfast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Belfast" is /ˈbɛl.fæst/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Belfast"?
From Irish Béal Feirste (literally “mouth of the River Farset”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Belfast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Beatles#8,513blaming#8,516accepts#8,507coconut#8,524

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

fourteen11 variantsresting11 variantsimports11 variantsjuvenile11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list